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Profile

Barbara Pettitt MD

  • Department of Surgery
    Professor
  • (404) 727-1293
  • bpettit@emory.edu
Head shot of Barbara Pettitt

Overview

As the director of medical student education for the Department of Surgery, Dr. Pettitt has coordinated, managed, and presented a wide array of didactic courses and skills labs to medical students and surgical residents. She has enhanced the scope of Emory surgical trainees' learning experiences by spearheading the development of electronic teaching sites; devising learning objectives, instructional guidelines, and assessment checklists for various simulation training modules of the American College of Surgeons/Association of Surgical Education's Medical Student Simulation-Based Surgical Skills Curriculum; and initiating educational scenarios in trauma evaluation and management using both full-body simulators and actors playing patients.

Since joining the Department in 1985, Dr. Pettitt's tenures as chief of surgery at Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital (now Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding), chief of pediatric surgical services of the Grady Health System, and director of education for the Emory Endosurgery Unit have allowed her to encourage and influence hundreds of surgical and pediatric residents and medical students during their rotations. Beginning in 2011, she has also managed the surgery follow-up clinics that cap Emory's medical student-led surgical trips to Haiti, which are staffed by teams of faculty attendings, residents, and medical students.

Academic Appointment

  • Associate Professor of Surgery, Clinical Track, Emory University School of Medicine

Education

Degrees

  • Masters in Health Professions Education from University of Illinois at Chicago Medical School
  • MD from Northwestern University
  • BA from Central College

Research

Focus

  • I am interested in medical/surgical education research. My current project is a needs assessment of >500 volunteer surgical faculty nationally (my thesis project for my Masters in Health Professions Education. I am also interested in pediatric injury prevention and school disaster planning, and medical student instructional and assessment methods.

Publications

  • The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Geographic Placement of Applicants to General Surgery Residency Programs.
    J Surg Educ Volume: 81 Page(s): 1198 - 1202
    09/01/2024 Authors: D'Orleans CC; Hechenbleikner EM; Papandria DJ; Xiao K; Patel D; Srinivasan JK; Chahine AA; Pettitt BJ; Knauer EM
  • "The Most Satisfactory Procedure in the Field of Pediatric Surgery": The History of Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis.
    Am Surg Volume: 89 Page(s): 3716 - 3720
    09/01/2023 Authors: Lovasik BP; Srinivasan JK; Pettitt BJ
  • From the Operating Room to Online: Medical Student Surgery Education in the Time of COVID-19.
    J Surg Res Volume: 270 Page(s): 145 - 150
    02/01/2022 Authors: Grady ZJ; Gallo LK; Lin HK; Magod BL; Coulthard SL; Flink BJ; Knauer EM; Winer JH; Papandria D; Pettitt BJ
  • Implementation and evaluation of eight virtual surgical electives for medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Am J Surg Volume: 222 Page(s): 248 - 253
    08/01/2021 Authors: Pettitt-Schieber B; Kuo M; Steehler A; Dong A; Fakunle O; Manalo T; Mercury O; Simpson F; Guiss N; Studer M
  • An Online Plastic Surgery Nonclinical Elective: Virtual Surgical Education in the Era of Coronavirus Disease of 2019.
    Plast Reconstr Surg Volume: 147 Page(s): 726e - 727e
    04/01/2021 Authors: Mercury OA; Danko D; Pettitt BJ; Thompson PW
  • Implementation and Evaluation of a Virtual Elective in Otolaryngology in the Time of COVID-19.
    Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Volume: 164 Page(s): 556 - 561
    03/01/2021 Authors: Steehler AJ; Pettitt-Schieber B; Studer MB; Mahendran G; Pettitt BJ; Henriquez OA
  • Reply.
    J Vasc Surg Volume: 73 Page(s): 1112 - 1113
    03/01/2021 Authors: Kuo MC; Poirier M-V; Pettitt-Schieber B; Pettitt BJ; Alabi O; Rajani RR
  • Efficacy of vascular virtual medical student education during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
    J Vasc Surg Volume: 73 Page(s): 348 - 349
    01/01/2021 Authors: Kuo M; Poirier M-V; Pettitt-Schieber B; Pujari A; Pettitt B; Alabi O; Rajani R
  • A Strategy for Undergraduate Medical Education in Urology During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
    J Surg Educ Volume: 78 Page(s): 746 - 750
    01/01/2021 Authors: Manalo TA; Higgins MI; Pettitt-Schieber B; Pettitt BJ; Mehta A; Hartsell LM
  • Sustained Clinical Performance During Surgical Rotations Predicts NBME Shelf Exam Outcomes.
    J Surg Educ Volume: 77 Page(s): e116 - e120
    01/01/2020 Authors: Tracy BM; Hazen BJ; Ward CR; Winer JH; Pettitt BJ
  • Medical students impact laparoscopic surgery case time.
    J Surg Res Volume: 197 Page(s): 277 - 282
    08/01/2015 Authors: Mori M; Liao A; Hagopian TM; Perez SD; Pettitt BJ; Sweeney JF
  • Does the amount of time medical students spend in the operating room during the general surgery core clerkship affect their career decision?
    Am J Surg Volume: 210 Page(s): 167 - 172
    07/01/2015 Authors: Hagopian TM; Vitiello GA; Hart AM; Perez SD; Sweeney JF; Pettitt BJ
  • Designing an ethics curriculum to support global health experiences in surgery.
    J Surg Res Volume: 187 Page(s): 367 - 370
    04/01/2014 Authors: Martin BM; Love TP; Srinivasan J; Sharma J; Pettitt B; Sullivan C; Pattaras J; Master VA; Brewster LP
  • Do medical students in the operating room affect patient care? An analysis of one institution's experience over the past five years.
    J Surg Educ Volume: 71 Page(s): 817 - 824
    01/01/2014 Authors: Hagopian TM; Vitiello GA; Hart AM; Perez SD; Pettitt BJ; Sweeney JF
  • Scaling up short-term humanitarian surgery: a global surgery elective for senior medical students.
    J Surg Educ Volume: 71 Page(s): 871 - 877
    01/01/2014 Authors: Hugar LA; McCullough CM; Quinn ME; Kapadia SM; Pettitt BJ
  • International surgical clerkship rotation: perceptions and academic performance.
    Am J Surg Volume: 206 Page(s): 280 - 286
    08/01/2013 Authors: Leeds IL; Hugar LA; Pettitt BJ; Srinivasan J; Master VA
  • The independent plastic surgery match: an in-depth analysis of the applicants and process.
    Ann Plast Surg Volume: 66 Page(s): 568 - 571
    05/01/2011 Authors: Harper JG; Given KS; Pettitt B; Losken A
  • Carotid artery thrombosis and delayed stroke associated with the use of a shoulder belt in a teenager.
    J Pediatr Surg Volume: 44 Page(s): E29 - E33
    08/01/2009 Authors: Levack MM; Pettitt BJ; Winston AD
  • Should surgical novices trade their retractors for joysticks? Videogame experience decreases the time needed to acquire surgical skills.
    Volume: 22 Page(s): 1294 - 1297
    05/01/2008 Authors: Shane MD; Pettitt BJ; Morgenthal CB; Smith CD
  • A profile of female academic surgeons: training, credentials, and academic success.
    Am Surg Volume: 72 Page(s): 1153 - 1157
    12/01/2006 Authors: Wyrzykowski AD; Han E; Pettitt BJ; Styblo TM; Rozycki GS
  • The pre-trained novice(c): Results of a proficiency-based surgical curriculum
    Volume: 203 Page(s): S76 - S76
    09/01/2006 Authors: Shane MD; Pettitt BJ; Morgenthal CB; Smith D
  • Generation 80 hours: a randomized prospective trial of proficiency-based training for development of basic surgical skills
    Volume: 201 Page(s): S76 - S76
    09/01/2005 Authors: Howell DL; Goldenberg EA; Huang IP; Pettit B; Abu-Rajab M; Smith CD
  • The reporter-interpreter-manager-educator (RIME) method for evaluation of medical students: experience and lessons learned from one institution.
    Volume: 20 Page(s): 165 - 166
    04/01/2005 Authors: Brownfield ED; Cruz D; Pettitt B; Goedken J; Mcdonald W
  • Medical student concerns and fears before their third-year surgical clerkship.
    Am J Surg Volume: 189 Page(s): 492 - 496
    04/01/2005 Authors: Pettitt BJ
  • A prospective study for the detection of vascular injury in adult and pediatric patients with cervicothoracic seat belt signs.
    J Trauma Volume: 52 Page(s): 618 - 623
    04/01/2002 Authors: Rozycki GS; Tremblay L; Feliciano DV; Tchorz K; Hattaway A; Fountain J; Pettitt BJ
  • Validation of surgeon-performed emergency abdominal ultrasonography in pediatric trauma patients.
    J Pediatr Surg Volume: 33 Page(s): 322 - 328
    02/01/1998 Authors: Thourani VH; Pettitt BJ; Schmidt JA; Cooper WA; Rozycki GS
  • Impact of bicycle helmet safety legislation on children admitted to a regional pediatric trauma center - Discussion
    JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY Volume: 33 Page(s): 321 - 321
    02/01/1998 Authors: Pearl RH; Gilbert JC; Pettitt BJ; Ashcraft KW; Othersen HB
  • Use of a modified Denver peritoneovenous shunt in a newborn with intractable ascites.
    J Pediatr Surg Volume: 27 Page(s): 108 - 109
    01/01/1992 Authors: Pettitt BJ
  • Management of Hirschsprung's disease in adolescents.
    Am Surg Volume: 55 Page(s): 219 - 225
    04/01/1989 Authors: Ricketts RR; Pettitt BJ
  • Renal insufficiency and volume overload in neonatal ECMO managed by continuous ultrafiltration.
    ASAIO Trans Volume: 33 Page(s): 557 - 560
    01/01/1987 Authors: Heiss KF; Pettit B; Hirschl RB; Cilley RE; Chapman R; Bartlett RH
  • Analysis of patients with biliary atresia coming to liver transplantation.
    J Pediatr Surg Volume: 19 Page(s): 779 - 785
    12/01/1984 Authors: Pettitt BJ; Zitelli BJ; Rowe MI
  • The length-time correlate in appendicitis.
    JAMA Volume: 244 Page(s): 806 - 807
    08/22/1980 Authors: Deck KB; Pettitt BJ; Harrison MR
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